Friends: How many us of have them? How many of us are one?

This was written over 11 years ago and then a few years later printed in my book, I Give You Jesus…The Greatest Gift. Thought I would share again. It’s one of my favorites and reminds me the type of friend I strive to be.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. Mark 2:5

Tuesday night, I attended a church service in Maryland while visiting my girlfriend where her Pastor of Reid Temple, Rev. Dr. Lee P. Washington , spoke on the topic “When Jesus is in the house” from Mark 2. He recounted the events of Jesus healing a man of palsy and how powerful it is when Jesus is in the House of God…

That sermon made my mind focus on the four friends that man had. So much so it’s Saturday night and I’m still in awe of what lengths His friends went to and what the results were.

Imagine, a man is paralyzed – can’t move. He’s heard about this man, Jesus. He’s heard that Jesus is able to make the blind see, to help the lame walk. His friends are so passionate about him receiving healing that they carry – yes carry – their friend to where this man is.

They finally reach their destination and the house where Jesus is located and it is crowded. The people are so pressed into this house to the point where no one else can enter. His friends devise a plan to get closer. This plan takes drastic measures for drastic times. They decide to make an opening in the roof to lower their friend to where the Healer was. I’m sure it took time and precision to do so – but they successfully lowered him.

This action definitely caught Jesus’ attention. Scripture states as above, “When Jesus saw their faith…”

Now truly place yourself as the paralyzed man in the scripture. Let me make it a little easier for you to imagine. I see being paralyzed as a state which could be more than just physical. It could be mental, emotional, or spiritual. You could be currently “stuck” in a place where there is no movement, no growth, no mobility.

Do you have at least four friends that you can turn to and talk? Four friends that are passionate for you and the Will of God in your life? Four friends that will carry you in prayer, make sure you are covered in scripture, and go that extra mile to make sure that you are in the house where Jesus is? Do you have friends that make sure you are focused and on point? Friends that will help to plot and plan for your success? Friends that bring the Spirit of God with them any time they approach you…

Then there’s the flip side of the coin – are you that friend? You know, that friend in someone else’s life who prays without ceasing. Are you that friend who sees the move of God in a person’s life and does as directed by the Spirit to see its fruition? You encourage, you rebuke, you chastise out of love. You go out of your way because you know all things work together and that He that has begun a good thing will continue to perform it. You ultimately know deep down that God will get the Glory out of your friend’s current paralyzed state in the end. You can’t wait to see what God does due to your faith…because He’s done it in the past.

Friends…How many of us have them? How many of us are them? Let us pray…